Uzbekistan: president wins an election condemned for fraud

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 26 Oct 2021 by Alex Teddy

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On October 24 Shavkat Mirziyoyev was re-elected to his second 5-year term. He won 80% of the vote. The remaining 20% was divided between several candidates who are virtual unknowns and garnered minimal media attention. The second placed candidate was a woman who won 70%. A woman president is unthinkable in this very chauvinistic society. Mirziyoyev assumed office in 2016, when the previous president died en poste. Mirziyoyev has created a "New Uzbekistan" so he claims. He has ended the forced labor system that dates to the Soviet era. The press has been granted a small modicum of freedom. Foreign media and other international organizations have been readmitted to the country.Mirziyoyev was a provincial governor before becoming Prime Minister under Karimov, He continues to laud the late Karimov, who was widely regarded as one of the most oppressive dictators in the world.The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe condemned the election as a charade and noted that opposition parties were not permitted to contest it. There were lots of irregularities on polling day. Even before the result was announced, Putin had jubilated Mirziyoyev on his win. There are some who say there has been significant reform, and Uzbekistan could become a real democracy.State monopolies control over 70% of the economy. Peculation is endemic. Tourism has increased markedly under Mirziyoyev. He has a cordial relationship with the Taliban because Uzbekistan borders Afghanistan. Tashkent has close relations with Moscow but is not a formal ally. China is an increasingly important trade partner for Uzbekistan.The government has been eager to control the internet. Dissent is not tolerated....